Samsung Did Some Wild S***

[@ant0n13l]

Rumor has it DJI is coming with a mirrorless camera. I expect it to be as innovative as this was back then.

[@Mr_Glenn]

That's an exciting rumor, not going to lie.

[@frstesiste7670]

Maybe innovative, but there have been a couple of cameras like this and all commercial disasters. And with good reason. Handling is awful with a screen covering the whole back of the camera. No room for a grip for your thumb, no room for buttons and dials most people buying an advanced camera want and who wants specially adapted Android with hardware that cant support new versions in a couple of years.

[@marcp.1752]

Serveral old Sony E-Mount gear does have the "Play Memories" app, or -feature. This is nothing short, than some customized Android OS running here, too. Think about Sony A7 (2013) I could install serveral apps, like lens correction, etc... from later series, Sony removed that "feature".

[@marcp.1752]

Ah, the old Samsung Galaxy NX. When i read the info on DPReview - it was pretty clear DOA for me, because everyone into IT does know, software support is the factor. I gave the NX 2 years of Android support, before it does fade away. It was such a shame, without an PR acknoledgement - when Samsung killed silently the NX system...some years ago.

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Had Samsung not thrown the towel in on the camera market, I think they'd be leading it now. So much innovation and not afraid to try something new, a bit like Sony had been until they started making competent, sensible stuff.

[@okaro6595]

No way, cameras are all about the ecosystems. The ecosystems of Canon and Nikon are too strong. Only Sony has managed to become in between those.

[@stephenpawking]

​@okaro6595 what ecosystem? I'm not a photographer just an amateur. But all the cameras I have are the same just different menu layouts

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

@@stephenpawking He is referring to the fact that most say, Canon shooters with stick to Canon forever because they have invested heavily in Canon lenses, For most of us that aren't professionals often switch brands as we don't have as much invested. That said at work we switched to Sony from Canon because Canon didn't have a decent reasonably priced mirrorless camera on the market at the time - we just bought adaptors to run the Canon glass on the Sony body.

[@niluss6]

​@@okaro6595Nah... I see people switching systems all the time. People with money doesn't really care about being loyal to a brand. It just needs to have the bells and whistles of that time.

[@Optykz]

I swear Snappiness , Micro Four Nerds, and this guy be collabing and release videos on essentially the same subject.

[@TomCalton]

Honestly, we're not! 😅

[@BaldRavenHaired]

It's the grand conspiracy bythe y2k camera reviewers trio

[@philiptownsend4026]

They're all great minds. Thinkers, futurists. At 71 I just love the future and can't see innovations come quickly enough in all fields.

[@TanigaDanae]

On a side note: The Sony Alpha 6000 is run by Android 2.3.7 and possibly their follow ups as well.

[@luzr6613]

Interesting timing - Snappiness just bought and reviewed a 20MP MFT sensored interchangable lens Android camera straight outta China. Always something that interests me... i never take photos with my phone, and i don't carry the thing a lot of the time anyway, but a always carry a camera and i'd be more than happy to have a robust system camera with a phone built into it with voice and txt functionality. Like - it's not hard, is it... most of what would be needed is already there.

[@philiptownsend4026]

I'm transitioning to your way of thinking right now - back to Olympus M4/3 for me. Maybe I'll use my wifes' old Nokia chocolate bar phone to remove the temptation to grab my smartphone for a "quick snap". It will take self discipline though to break the habit. Or perhaps just transfer the SIM card to my tablet to keep all the Android functionality and just stop using the smartphone? I'm NEVER tempted to use the total rubbish camera of the tablet (why are they all such rubbish?).

[@stefan_becker]

Yes, that's the big question when it comes to equipping digital cameras with smartphone or connectivity features: How long will updates be available and who has to pay how much for them?

[@deaconloaisiga6708]

Hey guys I wanted to ask if anyone knows any other content creators that do what Tom does and shows off older and forgotten gear that really deserves more love (his Pentax MX-1 video helped me realize I really do love photography) and I would love to see more underrated and underutilized gear being showcased?

[@philiptownsend4026]

Yes, it's an interesting angle.

[@shirakawanaoya]

This should come back. Back then Samsung didn't have to push to get this project through but I think nowadays they do. And by the way that pancake 30 mm f2? Come on, that is amazing I still miss my 22 mm canon pancake (that they also killed along with EOS M).

[@syedkahar4679]

So it doesn't work because it got outdated? Can't people just jailbreak the camera, and replace the os with a more recent android?

[@Tek1014media]

I was thinking the same exact thing!

[@BaldRavenHaired]

Imo the reason why this camera failed is pure because of lack of software support, which is somewhat of a lot that the entire camera industry is notorious for ! But u cant expect such a camera to sell if the manufacturer dont assure atleast 5 -7 years of software update. And the second issue personally is that fact that Samsung just slapped the ui and os straight out of their galaxy phones, without even TRYING to customise it's intended purpose and atm aged horribly. Had they customised ui specifically for camera use and only put the essential apps required (legit who tf uses an alarm on a camera , or samsung store or contacts ?!) . We still use windows 7 and you can still use a photoshop or Lightroom version thats supported for win7 . If something similar works for android (technically could be done by apks ) ,its would have been a much different situation.

[@philiptownsend4026]

You're right.

[@Ventrux]

In fact it was the future but not many people know it. Why is that? Because at least that I can prove, the Sony cameras of the ILCE series from the 5100 to the 6700 actually use a kind of Android behind the operating interface and for proof, when you buy one of the applications that you can install from Sony, these apps are .APK and have the structure of an Android app already disarm one and I'm sure. If you check the camera agreement you will notice that there is Android OEM recognition. In fact I don't think anyone has tried to hack them because they are very good as they are, but with some work you should be able to install more things or even manipulate the system. But I'm sure there's something Android behind it and if it's in the ILCE, it must be in the top Alpha.

[@FDMedic78]

I have 2 Samsung cameras. I have a NX300 and Galaxy GK110. I love them both and I think Samsung was ahead of the game with camera technology back then. It is a true shame they did not continue with the production of them. I think the cameras still take amazing photos today in comparison to some of the new cameras being sold now.

[@XieRH1988]

A lot of cameras these days can transfer photos wirelessly to a smartphone using an app. That seems to have been the best solution if you really, really need to upload and share something you took on camera extremely quickly, and the best part is your phone can become outdated and be replaced by a new phone, but then you'd just install that same app on your new phone and you can carry on transferring photos.

[@JifferRiffic]

@XieRH1988 so their solution is to use another device which does not solve anything.

[@chrishowell5718]

​@@JifferRifficWell, the other device is one that most of us have close by 24/7, regardless of whether we also have dedicated fancy camera. My kids aren't that into photography but they can share pictures taken on their phones to social media. The weakness of sharing photos from a camera via a pho app isn't that it obliges you to have a smartphone (it's 2024, for goodness' sake), it's that the apps and the synchronization aren't as good as they should be.

[@harryvlogs7833]

Love the video, these old cameras are so interesting

[@atlasbesikniyo8753]

I wonder if anybody has ever thought about rooting this camera and installing custom firmware, essentially breathing new life to this camera? This thought has always intrigued me anytime I come across reviews of this device and the main complaint is "it's too old!"

[@xrayhk2013]

Android was originally developed for camera OS

[@Blackqueens89]

@@xrayhk2013 Was this a statement or question? no android was not meant for a camera Samsung just put android on this camera to sell it

[@nitricoxide1]

@@Blackqueens89 It's a fact. Android was ORIGINALLY a OS for a camera but as development goes on became a OS for a phone.

[@Blackqueens89]

@@nitricoxide1 the first android device was the HTC dream.. in 2009

[@Blackqueens89]

@@nitricoxide1 shit just looks it up I was wrong lmao 🤣

[@xrayhk2013]

@@Blackqueens89 just fun fact lol

[@erayozdemir4738]

Have you ever tried to review the phone called "Panasonic Lumix DM-C CM1" which has a 1" sensor with leica camera lens attached to the phone itself?

[@TomCalton]

No I haven't, but I'm very familiar with it so hopefully one day I'll get round to checking it out 😊

[@InterMaus]

Yongnuo does produce/sell a camera with Android the YN455.

[@InterMaus]

it's full of weird compromises, but it does exists and it does work lol

[@TimelapseKing]

But unfortunately, it uses the m43z sensor format. In addition, it does not support raw.

[@Optykz]

@TimelapseKing unfortunately with M43 sensor? Lol get out of here. The m43 sensor is possibly the best thing to come out for cameras.

[@TimelapseKing]

​@@Optykz LMAO, I know the m43 is the perfect camera. why? I using panasonic GH5 and G9m2. I just compared Galaxy NX to YN455

[@JorgeALXNDR]

All the shots that show your face looks like either they were color corrected by a colorblind person or were specifically treated to look the way cats or dogs see things

[@MrJed_s]

I could maybe see this working to attract smartphone users, but for me this just combines the worst parts of smartphones (distractions, screen-based interaction, longevity issues as you pointed out) with the worst features of dedicated cameras (too big/bulky). Seamless transfer of photos is all we need, and that still hasn't really happened as far as i can tell.

[@chrishowell5718]

Yep, there are advantages to Big screens with lots of icons but I suspect photographers are always going to want to be able to change shutter speed, aperture and perhaps ISO with the camera to their eye and in a fraction of a second. Big screen but no dials, so I have to go through menus for the simplest thing? No thanks. Cheek or nose inadvertently affecting the big touchscreen everytime I lift the camera to my eye? No thanks. Just use the big screen as a viewfinder? Okay, how does it articulate for low-level shots? What do you mean it doesn't. Frankly, a phone app that, once the camera and phone have been introduced, automatically assumes that if the camera's wifi is on and the phone app is open, the intention is for the two to connect without further fuss, is all that is needed.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Yup. I'm about to WiFi my Olympus M4/3 to my tablet to see how that works out.

[@ChrisBrogan]

How'd the move go, Tom? Must feel all kinds of confusing, because it's clearly a lot more than just house.

[@hobinyasarid8390]

is this support focus peaking? and manual lens with adapter? I'm looking forward to see

[@brandonkcoleman33]

Never heard of it until now, not sure how good the marketing was for this.

[@sethiphotography]

nice video, hope yo are enjoying the Canadian landscapes.

[@Jackk_gg]

the positives of an android is that you can custom rom it. theoretically, if someone makes software for it, that device can run android 14 smoothly.

[@ricardoantoniogonzalez9724]

Can I use this in a smartphone only film festival? Seems like an exploitable lophophole🤔

[@philiptownsend4026]

Is there a M4/3 festival? I'd be there.

[@dacook1987]

With Android originally being created for camera systems I really wish this was still a thing. Cameras seem to be in a spot that time is not subject to them becoming obsolete. All our other tech Is not like that, so if after few years years the camera was obsolete oh well. If the lens system stays the same then no biggie!

[@philiptownsend4026]

Proper cameras are only obsolete for most people. Those who care about their photography stay with them.

[@CptBronzebeard]

Install an old app and don't update it - you won't lose functionality.

[@philiptownsend4026]

How to obtain old apps?

[@ichbinbommel]

Such an odd design. I really don't like this haha. Part of the fun about photography with a camera is that you spend time off your phone. No distracting notifications, no instagram etc. Also I'd miss all the fun little buttons.

[@arthurgphotography]

Spot on

[@philiptownsend4026]

Horses for courses. There must be thousands of different opinions and ideas about this. A thought provoking clip, I'm pleased to have seen it.

[@philiptownsend4026]

I hadn't seen or heard of this one back in the day. Good job though as I probably would have bought one... What a super idea to converge technogies to that degree. If only Samsung/Google had stuck with it we could have had AI and voice input in any or all languages to control the cameras' functions today. Perhaps a dumb body and lens similar to this but with a magnetic dock with some sort of high speed interface to replace the fixed touchscreen on the back with a smartphone for functionality and storage? I'm presently moving away from smartphone photography as it doesn't satisfy me any longer, the limitations and missing possibilities of it are stifling me despite the obvious convenience. I'm back to a "proper" camera now, back to the Olympus M4/3 world and WiFi-ing it to my tablet when I want to, to try to get the best of both worlds. Not a decision all smartphone photographers would make of course, but each to her/his own 📷🖼️🎨👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤔

[@pix-point]

I would rather like to have a sim card in my Z8 than fiddling with the WI-FI and Bluetooth connection to the phone app.

[@Animesh0709]

*An android phone in the body of a camera*

[@nafisibrahim4272]

love the new place

[@ricardoantoniogonzalez9724]

Costom rom?

[@bublt4me]

Have you tried looking into putting in a custom firmware?

[@TomCalton]

No, but that's a great idea! Shame I have zero knowledge about that type of thing 😅

[@philipcupid6660]

Tom, that's awesome that you mentioned this camera I remember playing with one in my local Curry's store back in 2012. I remember having a Samsung DSLR in my hands that used a Pentax K mount but it didn't work precisely because a contact was different or something else a few years beforehand. Nice video!!

[@JifferRiffic]

Samsung is right about this. They just went too early in the game when Android and OnUI were not fully developed as it is today. Also, social media apps sucked and where non existent like today. Snapdragon processing specs are finally there. Samsung could pull this off today, especially with AI image integration. All you need is 4 things which we already have. Good sensor, good radio chipset, cpu, and apps. Every camera company is heading into this direction as canon and nikon are already working on ai interpretation with their future cameras. Samsung is so innovative they are years if not decades ahead of the competition. Think about this. Over a decade ago they removed the waterfall edges from their phones while everyone else was putting bezels around theirs. Punch hole cameras in the screens, now almost 8 years of folding technology. They are way ahead of their time. So much that it hurts them cause it won't become adopted fast enough.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Good comment. A lot of food for thought there.

[@Thecreativesoutlet]

I miss mine 😢 the shutter had gotten stuck

[@JorgeALXNDR]

I know it doesn't matter because nobody's gonna be buying or be really using this camera and it's more of a gimmick after all these years but I don't understand why only show the edited photos. Your presets do really look cool so I guess you want to sell them but I wish to see how the photos would look untreated at least a few times.

[@cmck1777]

No shade but what's up with the warm video in this clip? I almost calibrated my monitor (just watched a different video of yours instead - was fine).

[@artemeerid9002]

Aint no way

[@medul10alpha31]

Fr

[@harryvlogs7833]

Sorry tom but most smartphones have a 1/1.5 inch sensor and good ones / flagships have 1 inch

[@okaro6595]

No they do not. Flagships may have such sensors. No phone as full 1" sensor. They use just 12 megapixels of a 20 megapixel sensor.

[@BarneyKB]

Funny enough Sony cameras run a highly modified version of Android

[@working683II]

wow.

[@DavidMBanes]

That's what I would expect, a big screen, if I was building a camera as an 'upgrade' from. ams art phone camera. One reason I sold my Lumix S9 was that 'moving up' from my phone the S9 screen was way too small.

[@MarcioK]

This one probably have a VERY long boot time, as any Android deveice, isn't? Another reason why it was a flop.

[@MrJed_s]

But you dont boot your android phone every time you use it, I wonder if this camera was designed to stay in standby?

[@MarcioK]

@@MrJed_s For the reviews of the time, looks like the power management was not great. Battery is a 4360 mAh, huge for a camera (double of a Sony Z battery), but most smartphones have battery of this size. And it have to drive the lens motors, the EVF, etc. Camera chipsets are custom made for cameras, only have the necessary functions, are use very low power when idle. Android would be great if some manufacturer made a huge fork of it, stripping every library not needed. But it would demand a lot of research, and I suspect that would bring a lot of incompatibilities with apps.

[@MrJed_s]

@@MarcioK fair enough, yeh it would likely need a lot of optimisation and/or a much larger battery to work out well. Maybe a built in phone battery AND a replaceable camera battery.